Funchal 2026: Croatia win thriller against Serbia to surge into top eight at European Championships

All the medal favourites – Greece, Hungary, Spain, Italy and Netherlands – showcased their attacking strength on the final day of Group Stage I, with each of them firing in 22 or more goals. With their next phase of the competition beginning on Saturday, the big five were keen to build some rhythm and showed great intensity despite the level of their opponents. The biggest game of the day, though, was the battle between Serbia and Croatia, as a ticket to the top eight (and the 2028 European Championships) was at stake. It was the Croats who edged it, after a late 0-6 surge – when 6-4 down – swung the game in their favour.

Women’s 2026 European Water Polo Championships – Funchal
Day 4, Thursday 29 January

Group A

Greece 26-5 Germany
France 21-13 Slovakia

Group B

Romania 4-22 Spain
Hungary 28-4 Portugal

Group C

Italy 25-11 Türkiye
Serbia 8-10 Croatia

Group D

Netherlands 23-6 Israel
Switzerland 6-18 Great Britain

Group A

Greece 26-5 Germany
(7-1, 6-1, 6-1, 7-2)

World champions Greece made it three wins from three in Funchal, with a resounding victory against Germany seeing them top the group in style.

With the bigger games incoming, Greece went all-in against the Germans from the start.

Several fast breaks ended in goals or penalties, as they quickly took full control, winning the first quarter 7-1.

Vasiliki Plevritou was benefiting the most, helping herself to a hat-trick inside the opening eight minutes.

Despite some defensive adjustments from Germany coach Karsten Seehafer, his players continued to be outnumbered at the back, leading to more Greek goals.

By half-time, the favourites were 11 clear (13-2), and as fluid as they were in attack, they were just as robust in defence, having shut down all five of Germany’s six-on-five opportunities.

The Greeks kept their foot on the gas in the third, with the Germans powerless to stop them adding six more to their total (19-3).

In the end, Greece hit 25 – a record in a single game for them in Funchal – which also kept them top of the tournament scoring charts with 73, and sent an ominous warning to fellow medal contenders Italy, who await in Group Stage II.

Maria Myriokefalitaki was almost unplayable against at times, as she fired in a game-high seven goals, closely followed by Vasiliki Plevritou with four.

Veteran Barbara Bujka – the eldest player in Funchal, who will turn 40 in September – was a glimmer of light for Germany, scoring four (three penalties and one 6m blast), as she rolled back the years, heroically attempting to disrupt the Greeks’ rhythm whenever possible.

Group A

France 21-13 Slovakia
(5-4, 5-2, 5-4, 6-3)

France had to withstand some early pressure from Slovakia to finally seal their place in the top eight. 

The Slovaks took the lead twice in the opening quarter (0-1 and 1-2), but the French didn’t allow them to pull away and had edged in front by the first break (5-4).

At half-time, they looked to have broken Slovakia’s resistance, as they went 10-6 up, with Valentine Heurtaux leading the way for France with three goals.

In the third, Slovakia’s Sandra Holicova struck first from an extra to give her team some renewed hope, but that was soon extinguished by two more French goals – from Lara Andres and Ema Vernoux (12-7).

The gap remained at five (15-10) heading into the final eight minutes, then Dina Telypko’s fast break and shot from the right reduced it to four.

Kahena Benlekbir quickly replied from France’s next six-on-five, and when Ema Vernoux flashed in a bounce shot (her seventh goal of the night), and Emma Duflos added another, the game was all but over at 18-11.

France comfortably closed out the final five minutes, with the victory securing France a seventh successive top-eight finish at the European Championships, after placing seventh in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022, and sixth in 2024.

Group B

Romania 4-22 Spain
(1-7, 1-4, 1-5, 1-6)

Medal favourites Spain made it back-to-back wins in Funchal with a dominant display against Romania.

After their narrow 9-7 loss to Hungary on the opening day, Jordi Valls’ team have shown no mercy against their opponents, putting 22 past the hosts Portugal on Tuesday, and now 22 against the Romanians.

Paula Leiton got the ball rolling with a strong finish from the centre after just 53 seconds, and six more Spanish goals followed before the end of the first quarter (1-7).

The Romanian fans did have something to celebrate, though, as Sara-Maria Pascu’s shot somehow evaded the grasp of Martina Terre.

Debora-Julia Nagy added another for Romania late in the second period with a 6m shot that flew past Martina’s sister, Mariona, who had taken over goalkeeping duties for the Spanish.

At half-time, Spain were sitting comfortably at 2-11, with Queralt Anton causing most of the damage with a hat-trick of goals.

As a clear indication of their squad’s superior firepower, there were seven other Spaniards on the scoresheet at this stage, with Elena Ruiz on two (who completed her hat-trick later in the second half).

The third and fourth quarters also belonged to Spain, as they looked to build some real momentum heading into the next phase of the competition, where much bigger challenges await – most notably the title-holders, Netherlands.

Anton finished as her team’s top scorer with five goals, while Paula Crespi was close behind with four.

Group B

Hungary 28-4 Portugal
(7-2, 7-1, 7-1, 7-0)

After big victories for the other medal contenders earlier in the day, the Hungarians were keen to follow suit against the hosts.

Coach Sandor Cseh had spoken about the need for his players to maintain high-intensity levels at all times, so they are in peak condition for Group Stage II, where the reigning champions Netherlands await.

Portugal – as expected – were under siege from the very beginning, as the Magyars surged forward at every opportunity.

Despite falling 14-3 down by half-time, the home crowd did have a few moments to cheer, none more so than when Maria Sampaio expertly blocked Vanda Valyi’s penalty.

Valyi may have missed that 5m throw, but she still ended the game as the top scorer, hitting six by the end (closely followed by Kata Hajdu with five).

The second half was another exhibition showcase for Hungary, who looked eager for more as they continued to skilfully cut through the home defence, with all 12 of their outfield players scoring at least once.

Hungary have now fired in a tournament-high 28 goals in two successive games, matching the total they scored against Romania on Day 2, and the 28 Netherlands hammered past Switzerland, also on Day 2.

‘One club in Hungary has more water polo players than the whole of Portugal,’ stated the hosts’ coach Ferran Pascual when asked about the gulf between the two teams afterwards.

It was another tough lesson for the Portuguese players, but they gave everything to stem the flow, and will now contest the 9th-16th classification group, where Pascual has set the target of a top-12 finish.

Group C

Italy 25-11 Türkiye
(7-2, 4-4, 7-3, 7-2)

Italy had the top spot in Group C secured before their clash with Türkiye, but that didn’t deter them from flying out of the blocks in Thursday’s opening game.

However, they failed to maintain those levels throughout, allowing the Turks to hit 11 goals – the most they’ve scored in a single game in Funchal to date, after putting eight past Serbia and nine versus Croatia.

It was also a record for the most goals Türkiye have ever scored in a preliminary game at any European Championships (their previous record was 10 against Portugal in 2016), but their search for a Group Stage win continues – after losing all of their opening matches at Belgrade 2016, Barcelona 2018, Eindhoven 2024, and now Funchal 2026.

With all the medal contenders looking to gear up for the business end of the competition, which starts on Saturday, this was an opportunity for the Italians to fine-tune their game plan to ensure they hit the ground running.

Six goals had flown in for Carlo Silipo’s side before Türkiye finally found a way past Italian goalkeeper Giuseppina Condorelli with 1:25 remaining in a one-sided first quarter.

Condorelli got a strong hand to Ecehan Temel’s fierce shot from the perimeter, but she couldn’t prevent the ball from bobbling over the line.

Both teams added one more before the end of the period (7-2), as the Italians looked to be cruising to a huge victory, but the second quarter was more balanced, with the Turkish defence – and attack – stepping up.

Italy showed a few frailties – or complacency – as they allowed the Turks to cut the gap to four, but they were never able to get any closer.

Their advantage was restored to five (11-6) by half-time, but Türkiye were causing the favourites some problems, scoring twice from the centre, once on the counter, and a fine 6m shot from Elvira Yermakova, which flew into the top corner.

In the third, Türkiye again got within four (11-7), but Italy kept them at arm’s length for the remainder of the game, while hitting another 14 goals.

Chiara Ranalli spearheaded the Italian attack expertly, leading the scoring with five goals, while captain Agnese Cocchiere and Claudia Marletta each rifled in four.

For Türkiye, Yermakova also struck four times, taking her tournament tally to seven.

Despite the loss, coach Piotr Marcoci was impressed with his team’s performance against such illustrious opponents, commenting afterwards he hopes to see similar displays in the 13th-16th place battles.

Group C

Serbia 8-10 Croatia
(2-2, 4-3, 0-3, 2-2)

Serbia’s meeting with Croatia was a must-win, high-pressure contest for both sides, as the victors would advance to the top eight alongside Italy.

The opening quarter was an entertaining and fierce battle, as it was clear both sets of players knew exactly what was at stake.

Serbia goalkeeper Nikolina Travar produced a couple of stunning early saves with her right hand to deny Aurora Stipanov and Neli Jankovic, while at the other end, Hristina Ilic and former Cuban centre Sesilija Diaz were both on target.

Each of those goals was an equaliser, as Croatia – who were looking a little nervous with their shooting – had taken the lead twice from six-on-fives through Nina Eterovic and Jelena Butic.

At the start of the second quarter, the Serbs opened up a two-goal lead after Ana Milicevic finished off a neatly worked six-on-five, and a powerful penalty from Jelena Vukovic (4-2).

When Ria Glas pulled one back with a rocket from the left wing, she screamed and punched the air in delight, illustrating just how much this game meant to both sets of players.

Serbia reset their two-goal advantage twice more in the first half (5-3 and 6-4), but the Croats kept fighting back, and Iva Rozic’s action goal with 1:51 remaining was enough to set the score at 6-5.

That goal was the start of a 0-6 surge, which was ultimately decisive, as the Croats shut their rivals out for all of the third quarter.

With 4:49 on the clock in the third, Serbia had a six-on-five chance to move two clear again, but they failed to take a shot, and Croatia quickly replied through Nina Medic’s pinpoint 6m shot that kissed the left-hand post and flew past Travar.

It was an exquisite finish, and it seemed to inject some real belief into the Croatians, as two more goals soon followed, with Jelena Butic and Ria Glas both hitting the net to make it 6-8 at the end of the third.

When Jelena Butic, then her sister Magdalena, scored from Croatia’s first two extras in the fourth (6-10), the game was slipping away from Serbia.

Coach Milos Bradic immediately called a time-out with 5:30 remaining, and his words had some effect, as his players started to attack back with real vigour.

Nada Mandic hit the post from the centre, and then hammered in her next effort to end Croatia’s run, but the clock – showing 2:26 – was against them.

Hristina Ilic, then Diaz, also saw efforts hit the frame of the goal, much to the frustration of the Serbian fans in the stands and back home.

Croatia were holding firm, and although Vukovic found another way through – scoring on extra – it was too late as only 30 seconds remained.

While the Serbians now head to the 9th-16th classification groups, the Croats celebrated reaching the top eight of the European Championships for a fourth time.

Group D

Netherlands 23-6 Israel
(7-2, 6-2, 7-2, 3-0)

At stake in this clash was the top spot in Group D, as both Netherlands and Israel had already sewn up the qualification places with back-to-back victories in Funchal.

Israel arrived at the Olympic Pools Complex in an upbeat mood after their crucial win against Great Britain on Tuesday night, ensuring their return to the continent’s top eight (and qualification for the 2028 European Championships).

The team music was pumping as they headed into their dressing room, despite knowing they were in for a difficult match against the reigning champions.

The title-holders were the clear favourites to secure the three points, and by half-time the outcome was never in doubt (13-4).

After scoring nine from nine shots against Switzerland on Day 2, the Netherlands’ Kitty Lynn Joustra continued her perfect shooting form against Israel by converting her first three chances.

Including the game against Great Britain on Day 1, Joustra’s impressive streak stretched to 13 consecutive successful shots (her luck ran out with her last two efforts on Day 4 – missing the goal after a counter, and seeing a six-on-five attempt well saved by Roni Kakuzin.

The winning goalscorer from the final in Eindhoven, Bente Rogge, was rested for this game, as she sat on the tribune cheering on her team-mates, including sister Lieke, who added four goals to her tournament tally (10).

Israel coach Anastasios Salachas was visibly upset at times with his team’s defending – and attitude – claiming afterwards that some of his players were still thinking about the Great Britain game and need to refocus for the next phase of the competition.

Dutch coach Eva Doudesis, meanwhile, was pleased with his team’s high-intensity levels, which his players will need to maintain if they are to defend their crown in Funchal.

Group D

Switzerland 6-18 Great Britain
(2-4, 1-4, 1-6, 2-4)

Great Britain started this game with the memories of their painful defeat to Israel fresh in their minds.

With a place in the top eight out of reach, all the Brits could do was take some of their frustrations out on Switzerland, and that’s exactly what they did.

Katy Cutler opened the scoring for Great Britain, stealing the ball on the halfway line in the second minute before swimming in on goal for an easy finish after her marker was excluded.

Switzerland’s Jacqueline Kohli levelled shortly after, firing in a precision shot during their first six-on-five, but it was clear Great Britain had the edge, with Toula Falvey hitting two from the centre, then her replacement, Lucy Blenkinship, added another for 1-4.

Paola De Feo powered in a penalty shortly before the first break, but Great Britain continued to dominate in the second quarter.

Falvey struck again from the centre, then Lily Turner buried a penalty, and Blenkinship overpowered her marker on 2m twice to complete her hat-trick and make it 3-8 at half-time.

Switzerland’s third goal came after a VAR review adjudged Kohli’s shot from distance had just crept over the line, despite the best efforts of British goalkeeper Sophie Jackson.

In the third, Great Britain’s dominance – particularly in the centre – helped extend their lead to 4-14, with Cutler adding three, Falvey two, and one more from Blenkinship.

With huge support in the stands for the Swiss, when Alina Morgenegg opened the scoring in the fourth with a powerful turn and finish in the centre, it was treated like a winner.

Turner hammered in from the left side to reset Great Britain’s 10-goal lead, and by the end it stood at 12, thanks to two more strikes from Blenkinship (taking her game total to six) and one from Katie Brown.

Switzerland’s Anouk Soder wrapped up the scoring with a nice finish from a six-on-five, which was also treated like a winner in the stands.

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Andy Rollé for European Aquatics

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